Punishment
by Bandergeist
Summary: [COMPLETE]Eiji didn't know why they did what they did. Maybe it was to cleanse him. Maybe it was to punish him. What they did to him left him without a smile, or even much of his old personality. GoldenPair. Read warnings inside.
1. Punish Me

**Title**: Punishment  
**Author**: Cade  
**Rating**: M  
**Genre**: Romance/Drama/Angst/Dark  
**Pairing(s)**: Oishi/Eiji, Momoshiro/Ryoma, Kaidou/Inui, Eiji/OCs.  
**Summary**: Eiji didn't know why they did what they did. Maybe it was to cleanse him. Maybe it was to punish him. He would never find out. But what they did to him left him without a smile, or even much of his old personality.  
**Spoilers: **None, really.  
**Warnings:** non-con, violence, angst, more angst, man on man, men on man, that's about all I can think of. **  
Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by people who are not me. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Author's Note**: I started writing this about eight months ago. However, I didn't want to release it until I finished it. It's a good thing too. I left it laying around for about six of those months. It's dark, like many of my fics are, but I like it anyway. Mostly. There are parts I don't, but whatever. Well, enjoy. This has been broken up into eight parts, which will be uploaded at random.

* * *

There was nothing around him. Everything was dark. He couldn't move his hands – they were restrained. He didn't really know the exact reason why he was here, but he could draw his own conclusions. Punishment. That could be the only feasible answer. That could be the only reason why he was stuck here.

He could remember the rough hands grabbing him, covering his mouth when he tried to yell as they pulled him into the van. He could still hear the hoarse voice with the rancid breath whisper, "Shut up, and stop struggling. If you resist, we'll just do this to your little partner, faggot."

His brain swam, trying to figure out what the man meant. Partner? He only had one partner in everything, except one thing. But because of that, the only person it could be would be…

He stopped moving around immediately. He definitely didn't want Oishi to get hurt. He couldn't let Oishi get hurt. Not on account of him. Noticing that he had stopped fighting, those hands proceeded to gag and blindfold him. They forced his arms behind his back and handcuffed them together.

During the ride, Kikumaru Eiji could make out snatches of the conversation from the front seat. He didn't care to remember them though, he was too worried to actually think straight, let alone even attempt to remember the words being spoken. Occasionally, the one holding his arm in a vice grip would say something to him, but even that was lost to him because of the loud, fearful thumbing of his heart.

After what felt like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop. The man with the rancid breath grabbed Eiji and hoisted him over his shoulder. He carried his captive like this for a little hike before they reached their destination – a small cabin. Someone opened the door and Eiji was carried inside. The blindfold was removed and the redhead was placed on the single bed in the small one-room cabin. It wasn't long before the gag and handcuffs were taken off as well.

He blinked his eyes for a little while, trying to get used to his surroundings. It was dark here. He couldn't make out the faces of his captors. He knew that all three of them were standing in front of him, though. Through the darkness, he could see their silhouettes.

Eiji gritted his teeth. He hated mysteries and he hated these men, whoever they were. He hated that he couldn't see their faces, or that he didn't know their names. He hated that he couldn't recognize their voices. He hated this situation like he had never felt such rage before.

He stood up. "Oy! You bas-" he began, but couldn't finish. One of the three kicked him in his stomach, making him fall to his knees gasping for breath. A hand grabbed his hair tightly, yanking his head up.

"Looks like we have a feisty one tonight, boys," the leader grunted.

Eiji glared at him. He wouldn't take this without a fight. He had always wanted to be in a brawl anyway. He had been waiting for this chance. Because of Inui's training schedules, he did have muscles and he was an acrobat, so getting out of this situation couldn't be too hard.

He jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain spreading through his stomach as he looked around quickly for some sort of exit. He wouldn't believe that they could just kidnap Oishi. Besides, if… if Oishi would let him, he would warn his doubles partner. That way Oishi could be on the look out. Granted, that was only if the boy would talk to him.

_I don't have time to think about that right now_, Eiji chided himself. _I have to get out of here._

"Out of my way!" he bit out as he shoved through the space inbetween two of the men. He grinned as he reached the door. "Try again next week!" He opened the door and made it several paces before he was tackled from behind.

He let out a small cry of pain as he landed on the ground. The man behind him grabbed both his wrists and twisted them behind his back. Eiji struggled violently. What were they doing? Were they stupid or something?

He was yanked to his feet none too gently. One of the men appeared before him. "You think that was funny, do you?" he spat, smacking Eiji across the face. Eiji didn't answer. He figured that if they were ignored, the bullies would just leave him alone, like most people did when they were ignored. "Answer me, fucking bitch." Eiji bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. The hand was brought up and slapped him again.

"Wonderful," Eiji couldn't help but say. "Three on one. Beautiful odds."

"Is that really what you think, bitch?" the man asked, his hand coming up to stroke Eiji's cheek.

Eiji's eyes hardened. "Yeah, that's _really _what I think. Otherwise I wouldn't have said it."

The man's hand was raised again and Eiji flinched away, expecting it to strike him. Instead, he felt the fingers caressing his cheek. He opened his eyes, confused at what the man was doing. It was too dark to make out his features, which Eiji was sorely disappointed about. He would have loved to inform the police of exactly what these men looked like once he was out of here.

"You'll be taught to respect me, baby," the man breathed into his face.

Eiji rolled his eyes. "_Right_, because I always respect the assholes who kidnap me off the fucking street and threaten my doubles partner. Great way to win my respect. Not."

The hand that had been stroking his jaw line suddenly grabbed his neck. "You don't want to piss me off, Kikumaru," the voice hissed through clenched teeth as his hand squeezed Eiji's throat. Eiji choked, renewing his struggles.

"You _don't_ want to piss me off," the man warned. The man that was holding Eiji's wrists cackled with glee, his breath flushing against Eiji's hair.

"Do you think we should see how good he is?" one asked his comrades.

"What do you mean?" another responded.

"Well, he's a faggot, ain't he? We saw him with that partner of his. I want'a see what he knows about doing it, and all. I've heard men give better blowjobs anyway."

Eiji froze at these words. Did they… did they know? They knew of those desires that he held for Oishi? He closed his eyes in resignation as he was bodily dragged by both his wrists and his neck back inside the cabin. If that was what this was about, then let them do whatever they wished. Let them punish him for these urges he had. At those words, the truth spread so blatantly in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to try another escape. He had nothing left anyway. He had absolutely faith that Oishi would be able to protect himself against these thugs, but a small part of him whispered that the odds were still three on one, no matter if it was him, Oishi or even Tezuka. As for Oishi himself, he… well, Oishi was better off without him.

"Look at him." A hand stroked his hair. "He knows he's not supposed to be like this. He knows he's a freak."

Eiji hung his head, trembling slightly. Freak. That's what he was. That's what he had become. That's the term for people who fall in love with their best friends. This was what happened when he kept his hand on Oishi's shoulder for a second longer than necessary, all because he wanted to be close to his doubles partner. This was what he deserved for hugging his friend a little bit tighter than he should have, just because he wanted to be encased in Oishi's warmth. This was his punishment for the kiss he stole from Oishi just the day before, when he couldn't keep everything bottled inside any longer.

He shouldn't have done any of those things. He should have just ignored his feelings. He should have stayed silent.

And so he deserved what these three strangers were about to do to him, for trying to get Oishi.

One of the men came closer, his breath smelling of stale beer. Eiji didn't recoil at all, not even when the man pushed him down to kiss him harshly. There was a voice in his mind that sounded suspiciously like Tezuka, which was telling him how disappointed it was in him. He didn't care. He couldn't deal with losing his best friend. He didn't resist when the man began to unbutton his shirt. He knew he couldn't do anything. This may help redeem him, after all. He stiffened a bit when he felt another's hand begin undoing his pants. Remembering that this was for the greater good, he relaced and allowed them to remove what remained of his clothing.

One of them roughly grabbed him, making him gasp in pain.

"Look at the faggot." Eiji could feel a cold smile coming to his lips. Always "faggot," and never "fag." If one said, "fag" then the person in question could lose what was being said, but the harsh "t" at the end of "faggot" hammered the message in clearly. Eiji hated himself even more with each time he heard that. He should have controlled it, ignored it, used willpower or something.

Anything.

"He fucking likes it. Fucking faggot."

Eiji grimaced and allowed the tears to fall as the night continued. This was his punishment, he thought to himself. This was his redemption.

* * *

Every moment went through his head as he sat naked in a small closet. After using him, the men had given him a bit of food and water and then forced him in here.

He didn't mind the enclosed space. But it was really dark in here. He had nothing to accompany him but his thoughts and the dull pain that rushed through him. He could feel himself falling to sleep, but struggled to stay awake. A vision of Oishi rose in his mind, making the corners of his mouth twitch into a tiny smile.

_I'm sorry, Oishi_.

He slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Haunting Me

**Author's Note: **There's a lot of OOC in this fic. I completely forgot to tell people that in the first chapter, because I'm silly like that. The chapters are going to be short as well. That's just because this was originally a one-shot… but it became a bit long, so I just split up the one-shot into chapter-like thingies. Most of them will be very short, only about a page and a half, but I'll upload them quickly in order to make up for that fact. Thanks to those who have reviews so far. Enjoy Chapter Two.

* * *

Oishi lay on his bed. He had skipped school and tennis practice today. His thoughts were muddled and they were all thanks to his doubles partner of six years. The scene from the day before kept replaying over and over in his head. It was like he was listening to a song on repeat, but he wasn't sure he liked this song. 

_"Hey, Oishi, I need to talk to you, nya!" _

_"Sure, Eiji."_

_"Um… someplace more private?"_

_Nod. "All right."_

_Step. Step. Step. Look. No one's around._

_"Ne, Oishi, we've known each other for a long time."_

_Nod. _

_"We've been good friends, neh? Best friends?"_

_Nod._

_Eiji stopped his fidgeting. Quickly he grabbed the sides of Oishi's face. Oishi's eyes widened in confuse. "I… I…" the redhead hesitated for a moment, doubt taking over. He shook his head and with eyes filled with determination, he continued, "I really like you, Oishi." Then, as if to drive his point home, he pressed his lips against Oishi's. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds. Eiji pulled back, staring pleadingly at Oishi. Oishi just stared back blankly, almost as if he were in shock. _

_Eiji was about to say something when Oishi's hand came at him, knocking him to the ground. A startled expression settled across Oishi's features. He was sure that Eiji would get up and yell at him or something that was Eiji-like. Maybe childishly not talk to him for a few days or challenge him to a tennis match. _

_What he didn't expect was for his doubles partner to stand up and bow. What he didn't expect was for Eiji to mumble, "I understand. Please forget this happened, then." What he didn't expect was for Eiji to take off running. _

_But that's what happened. _

Oishi was startled out of his reverie by his cellphone. With a grunt of effort, he reached over onto the floor to pick it up.

"Hello?" he asked as he answered his phone.

"Oishi," the voice on the other end greeted.

"Ah, Fuji, what's up?"

Fuji paused for a second. "Do you know where Eiji-kun is?" he finally asked.

Oishi sat up in his bed. "Why?" He could feel the panic set in that always went along with Eiji's reckless behavior.

"Eiji hasn't been to school and he hasn't been home either."

Oishi tried to put those thoughts in order. After a moment, what Fuji said finally hit him. "Where could he have gone?" he nearly shrieked into the receiver.

"I don't know," came the blunt reply. "That's why I called you. You know Eiji better than anyone else."

"No I don't," Oishi answered bitterly. "I don't know Eiji better than anyone. In fact, I bet I know him least of all."

A slight pause. "Did Eiji tell you something then?"

Oishi ground his teeth together in annoyance. "What? Did everyone know except for me?" he spat, his brow furrowing into a frown as he had the sudden urge to hit something.

"No Oishi. I think only Tezuka, myself and Momoshiro's animal instincts are the only ones that noticed. Is it because of what he told you that he's gone missing?"

Oishi had no answer for this.

"Well, anyway, I hope you find him soon."

"Wait, you're not going to help?"

"This is your problem, Oishi," Fuji bit out coldly. "You have to fix it."

"What about wh-" Oishi began but Fuji cut him off.

"If Eiji is hurt because of something that is a direct result of your conversation, then I will never forgive you."

With that said, Fuji hung up the phone. Oishi stared down at the dead line for a moment before shoving the cellphone in the pocket of his pants. He bolted down the stairs, nearly tripping once and grabbed his jacket out of the closet. With a determined look on his face, he hurriedly pulled on his shoes and went out to look for Eiji. His phone was clenched tightly in his hand as he called everyone on the tennis team, and more, to see if anyone had seen his best friend.


	3. Rescue Me

**Author's Note: **_Well, I'm glad at all the responses I've gotten already, especially since I'm new to this fandom, and it usually takes about three stories to get established in a new fandom. To answer a question, I chose Tezuka, Fuji, and Momoshiro for the ones who knew about Eiji because they are the most observant. Inui is observant as well, but he's more observant in the skills department, in my perspective. Momoshiro, on the other hand, has good instincts and Tezuka watches everything. Fuji watches as well. That's why I chose those three. I'm not a huge fan of this part. It seems… unreal to me. Fake, in a bad way. But I need this part in order to continue the story. So please, enjoy chapter three, Rescue Me._

* * *

The closet door opened slowly, inching its way open, as though the person doing it wasn't really paying attention to the door itself. Eiji blinked for a moment when the bright light of the main room of the cabin blinded him.

When his vision cleared, a young man stood in front of him, a little younger than he was. He looked familiar, but Eiji couldn't place him at all. The boy handed him a pile of clothes after undoing the handcuffs that had be latched around his wrists once more.

"Come on," the boy urged after helping Eiji to his feet. The boy kept his eyes modestly elsewhere other than Eiji's naked form. "Get dressed quickly. They might be back at any minute.

Eiji hesitated. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I'm not stupid enough to leave you here."

"Won't they know it was you, though?"

"Probably not. They didn't believe I have the guts to do this. That's why they let me in on the location. Now _hurry up!_"

Eiji nodded and got dressed. His body ached with each step. His rescuer grabbed his arm and hoisted it around his broad shoulders. They made their way as quickly as they could out of the small cottage.

"Where are we?" Eiji asked thickly.

The boy flashed him a tiny smile. "We're near the Seigaku training camp. The one they visited before the Rikkaidai match in junior high. Gods that was years ago, not sure if you remember it." The boy laughed at the suspicious and surprised look on Eiji's face. "Oh! I'm not a stalker or anything. I went to Seigaku as well. I was in Echizen's year and I'm a huge tennis freak. Can't play though. Doctors said I have weak wrists."

Eiji nodded slowly. He supposed that that would be a problem for playing tennis. He stared at the trees around him. "Hoii! Do you know how we'll get back? I can't walk that far!"

The boy grinned. Briefly, Eiji wondered how he could smile so much in this kind of situation, but he brushed off those questions. Some people were just naturally happy.

"Uh, my brother has a car. Actually, you'll probably recognize him."

They stiffly made their way over to the parked Honda that Eiji had somehow failed to notice earlier. He growled deep in his throat at himself. Normally, he was the first one to notice things. He was probably more tired than he had thought. That had to be the only explanation.

"Tatsuha!" the teenager in the driver's seat yelled. "Come on, I have to return the car to Dad soon or he'll kill me!"

"We're coming, we're coming," 'Tatsuha' replied. He quickened the pace ever so slightly as he helped Eiji over to the car.

"Arai-kun?" Eiji let out when he saw who was in the driver's seat.

Arai looked equally as shocked as he stared at the older teenager. "Kikumaru-senpai?" He turned quickly to his little brother. "This was the person you wanted me to pick up? How did you find out where he is, anyway?" Before his brother could answer or even say anything, Arai plowed right ahead with what he was saying. "Never mind. We'll deal with that later. I should call Oishi-senpai." He pulled out his cell phone.

Eiji looked alarmed as he begged, "Please, no! I can't… I can't face him yet. You understand, don't you?" He lowered his eyes, embarrassed. How could he face Oishi right now? How could he, after what had just happened to him? It wasn't possible to see him yet.

Arai nodded, but he allowed his stubbornness to show. "Still, he's probably out looking for you," he reasoned. "We should get him off the streets. We wouldn't want him to be kidnapped either."

This made Eiji's head snap up. "Call him," the normally happy-go-lucky tennis player barked. "Make him go home."

_I can't face you yet, Oishi._

* * *

Oishi was running by Kawamura Sushi when his cellphone went off. It was a number he didn't recognize, but he answered it anyway.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Oishi-senpai?" the voice on the end wanted to know. Oishi knew that voice, but he couldn't place it. Luckily, he didn't have to try and remember because the voice introduced itself a second later. "It's Arai! From Seigaku."

He couldn't help smiling. Arai really didn't need to introduce himself as though Oishi hadn't seen him since junior high. They went to the same high school. However, because of an injury that he had obtained, Arai didn't play tennis anymore, so Oishi didn't see him as much. Still, the boy came out to every game. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he returned to the conversation.

"Arai? What's up? I'm kind of busy right now."

"I know. I found Kikumaru-senpai, though."

"What? Where? Is he okay? Where can I meet you?"

There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Oishi-senpai. Kikumaru-senpai doesn't want to see anyone right now. We just wanted to tell you he's safe."

Oishi leaned against the wall next to him. "Please, let me see him. I need to see him. I need to see he's safe."

There was muted talking on the other end of the line. From the tones of the voices, he could guess that it was some kind of argument going on. After about a minute, Arai returned.

"Meet us at Kikumaru-senpai's house. We should be there in about twenty minutes."

"Okay!" With that Oishi hung up and sprinted towards Eiji's house.


	4. Talk to Me

**Author's Note: **_Well, here's the next bit of the story. It's kind of right for Valentine's Day, and kind of not. I was thinking of holding off until tomorrow, but I really don't give a damn for this holiday and I don't think I ever particularly will. So… in lieu of that, here's the next chaper, "Talk to Me."_

* * *

In the car, riding back towards his house, Eiji was silent. He stared out at nothing. He was just watching the world pass by and bring him closer and closer to Oishi. He didn't want to see his doubles partner. He wasn't ready to face the world. He wasn't ready to face anyone. After all, he had yet to fully atone for his desires. He hadn't been punished enough for his sins. It wasn't long before Arai pulled up in front of the Kikumaru residence.

"I'll tell my family I was with you guys, neh?" he said, trying to at least sound like his normal self. "That way they won't worry."

Arai and his brother nodded as Eiji stepped out of the vehicle. The redhead looked around cautiously. He didn't see Oishi anywhere and was thankful for that.

Unfortunately, as he was heading towards the gate, he noticed his doubles partner standing there, worry etched onto his face. Eiji could feel himself start to shake. He couldn't be strong, not around Oishi. He couldn't do this with Oishi. Oishi was the one he had always gone to with _his_ problems.

But he shouldn't always rely on Oishi in order to get through things. He should be strong enough to stand on his own.

"Eiji," Oishi said softly, barely above a whisper. Eiji turned to look at him, feeling the tears welling up. He had let them defile him, punish him and try to fix him all for the sake of the man in front of him.

"Oishi…" he murmured softly.

Arai rolled down the window of the car. "I have to return the car to my pops," he told them. "Take care."

Eiji nodded. "Thanks for everything."

Arai smiled at him before rolling up the window again and driving away, leaving Oishi and Eiji standing there awkwardly.

"Eiji, are you all right?" Oishi began. "I was worried."

"Worried?" Eiji echoed softly. "Why would you be worried about me? I deserved what happened to me! It was my punishment." He turned, gritting his teeth. He hadn't meant to let that part slip. He would need to be more careful around Oishi. Shaking his head, he began to walk towards the house.

"Punishment?" Oishi asked. He grabbed Eiji's hand to prevent him from moving away. "What happened to you?"

Eiji looked at Oishi, a pained expression flitting over his face. "I don't need to tell you!" he shouted. "I don't want you to know!" He struggled to get away, but Oishi held him fast.

"Let go!" Eiji demanded, though his words were almost unintelligible through the sobs. "Let go of me."

Oishi didn't. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Eiji, burying his head into the crook of his friend's neck. Eiji froze immediately. What was Oishi doing? Didn't he hate him? He should. Eiji had shown him his hidden desires. He should be shunned by this man.

So why was Oishi hugging him as if he would never let him go?

"Don't ever do that again!" Oishi whispered, gripping Eiji tighter.

"W-What?" Eiji stammered, obviously confused.

"Don't disappear." Oishi buried his head in Eiji's hair. "Please don't disappear on me."

Eiji was taken aback. Tears continued to gather in his eyes and cascade down his face. He lifted up his hands to hide his eyes. He couldn't take this. Oishi _couldn't_ accept him. He couldn't bring Oishi down with him. The only way to prevent that was to push him away. So that's what Eiji would do. His pain was nothing if he could protect Oishi.

"Stop it!" Eiji yelled, trying to sound angry. It didn't have the effect that he had hoped it would. "Stop making fun of me!"

Eiji broke out of the warmth and security of Oishi's arms. Without looking back, he rain into his house and upstairs to his room, collapsing on his bed. He heard his mother knocking on the door. Wiping his face off, he put on a large grin as he opened the door.

"Hi Mom," he said in his normally upbeat voice. A part of him was disgusted with how well he could switch moods.

The older woman walked into the room. "Eiji, where were you last night?"

Eiji rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Briefly, he wondered how long he had been gone. Arai had known about his disappearance… who had spread the word? He'd have to ask someone about that later, after he got rid of his mother.

"Sorry, I was at Arai-kun's house. We were watching tennis movies until about one or two in the morning. I figured you'd all be asleep, so I just stayed the night and we just got back now. Sorry for worrying you."

His mother nodded. "Just call next time, no matter how late."

Eiji nodded and his mother left the room.

After closing the door, Eiji collapsed onto his bed, left alone with his thoughts once again. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had started staring at the ceiling before falling asleep.

* * *

Outside, Oishi was staring at the space Eiji had run from. _Is this how Eiji felt when I punched him? _He thought. _Is this how he felt when I rejected him?_

Oishi didn't realize he had begun walking until his feet had stopped him. Her looked around, trying to find tomsething he recognized. Kawamura's Sushi restaurant was looming in front of him. He almost smiled. In middle school, and even occasionally now that they were in high school, whenever he had become annoyed or angry at Eiji, he would find Takashi.

Opening the door, he entered the shop. There was Taka-san, as Oishi loved to call him, humming to himself as he worked. Looking up to welcome the customer, Kawamura could barely contain his surprise.

"Oishi! What are you doing here?" he asked. "It doesn't matter. Sit. Sit!" He gestured wildly to the stool in front of him. "What would you like? It's on the house."

"Thanks Taka-san," Oishi replied, taking a seat. The two sat in silence while Takashi made the sushi. He placed it before his friend when he was done.

"Okay, Oishi, talk to me," Kawamura prodded.

"What?"

"You're here. You're sulking. Is it something to do with Eiji?" Kawamura pushed without a shred of hesitation.

Oishi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. Was he that obvious? Or was it just that Takashi knew so much about him. "Right," he murmured. He sighed, glad that Taka-san wasn't interrupting him. "I don't even know what the biggest problem is. Eiji ran off for a little over a day and he came back completely changed." Oishi paused. "No… that's not right. He was changing before he left." _Deep breath, Oishi, calm down. You can tell Taka-san. He won't look down on you._ "He-he kissed me. Said… said he _liked_ me."

Oishi folded his arms on the counter, resting his chin on them. Kawamura looked at him, wondering what to say. It seemed as though Oishi had more to say on the subject though.  
"He tells me now to ignore what happened. He tells me he began his punishment." Oishi practically spat out the last word. "I don't understand him anymore. I don't think I've understood him in a long time."

Kawamura was about to answer when the door of the shop opened. Oishi turned to look as well and was surprised to see who walked in.

Momoshiro, Kaidou, Fuji and Echizen all made their way into the sushi shop. Looking at the shortest teenager, Oishi still didn't know why Echizen had returned. Three years after he left for America, he came back. He was a little older, a little wise, but no less Echizen than he had been when he left. That had been a year ago.

Fuji looked between Oishi and Kawamura. "Did we interrupt anything?" he asked, smiling at the two of them.

Oishi shook his head. "No, just small talk."

"That's good!" Momoshiro burst out. "We were just practicing for the tournament next week and we're _starving_."

Kawamura grinned. "What type of sushi do you all want?"

The all gave their orders and talked about mundane things while they ate: tennis, relationships and schoolwork. Most of the Seigaku regulars now attended the same high school, having somehow managed to get in. The only one that didn't was Kawamura, but that's because he had chosen a culinary high school instead. They all dropped by as regularly as they could, so that they could still catch up on old times and remain friends. They talked as old friends, speaking of everything except what they really wanted to touch upon. Everyone knew the others were avoiding the topic, so no one said anything about what they really wanted to talk about.

Which was Kikumaru Eiji and his sudden disappearance. Oishi touched upon it, just to say that he was at home now, but that was all he would say on the subject.

It was nearly forty-five minutes later when Oishi announced that he had to go. He thanked Kawamura and made his way out of the shop.

Momo stared after him. "Something's really bothering him," he commented. "And I think it's more than just Eiji-senpai."

"You noticed that too?" Kawamura asked, leaning on the counter.

Kaidou nodded and let out his signature snake-like hiss.

Fuji looked concerned for a moment before nodding. "Yes."

"Tch," Echizen said as he stood up. "Mada, mada dane."

"Ryoma, don't be so mean," Momoshiro said, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's waist. "You haven't even given me a kiss good-bye."

Echizen's face turned bright red at an alarming rate, but he didn't seem to mind the fact that Momo was now holding him close. Momo leaned up, dragging Ryoma down by his shirt in order to give the boy a chaste kiss before releasing him. Ryoma gave him a piercing glare before hurrying out.

It didn't matter that it was late enough that only team members and friends had been there, Momo shouldn't do embarrassing stuff like that! Ryoma blew out an exasperated breath as he closed the door behind him.

There was a pause of silence as they watched the boy leave.

Fuji turned to Momoshiro. "You did that to tease him, didn't you?"

"I've been trying to get him to loosen up for weeks! At least he didn't hit me this time."

Kaidou just hissed at him. "Idiot powerhouse," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Oishi was walking down the street, thinking about what he should do about Eiji when he heard his name being called. He turned to see Echizen running towards him.

"Oishi-senpai, can you do me a favor?" the younger asked.

Oishi raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "What's that?"

"Play a game with me."

"I don't have my racket with me."

"I have extras."

Shrugging, Oishi nodded. Who knew? Maybe this would help clear his head. Tennis always had a habit of doing that. Tennis always made things better. He gave Echizen a faint smile as the two headed off to the nearest court.


	5. Fix Me

**Author's Note**: Whoa… meant to update this this morning, but I got a bit sidetracked by being late for class and then coming home to watch anime. Yeah, my bad. Sorry. This happens to be my favorite chapter, and I know its incredibly OOC for Eiji, but I like it. I think this was the part that I wrote first. I've edited it several times from the time I wrote it, to the time of… well, _now_, but it still has retained what I wanted it to say. And I'm glad for that. You get a few answers of Eiji's psyche in this chapter. Hope you enjoy Chapter 5, _Fix Me_.

* * *

Eiji jumped out of his stupor when he heard a knock on the door of his room. He hadn't slept for very long. An hour, at most. Rather than to get up and face the world, however, he decided it would be much better to stay hidden beneath the covers.

"Eiji!" one of his sisters called. "Fuji-kun is here to see you!"

The redhead sat up quickly. Fuji was here? But he didn't want to see Fuji. He didn't want to see anyone, not even himself. All he wanted to do was stay hidden in his room and accept his punishment.

The door opened anyway, and Fuji stepped inside. He held up a plastic bag that had "Kawamura Sushi" stamped on the side. "Its anago," was all he said in greeting. He handed over the bag that had the cougar eel sushi to the other tennis player.

Eiji grinned, his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten since his judges had allowed him the scant meal before being shoved into the closet. Fuji smiled as he looked at his old friend. He handed over the bad to the hyperactive tennis player and watched for a few minutes as he dug into the food.

They sat in silence for a little while Eiji had finally finished eating.

"Eiji, what happened to you?" Fuji finally asked.

Eiji immediately became stone-faced, his eyes dull and cold. "I was punished," he said flatly. "That's all you need to know."

"What do you mean 'punished'?" the shorter of the two persisted.

Eiji felt a spark of anger shoot through him. "I fell in love with my best friend! It's wrong. Two men aren't supposed to be together." The boy's voice quieted towards the end. He personally didn't believe that, but it was what everyone in his family said. It was what everyone on the streets said. It was what his judges had said. It was wrong. He had felt that if… if Oishi was okay with it, then he could deal with everyone else. Oishi hadn't been okay with it, though. That had shown him exactly how wrong _he_ was.

Fuji's eyes flashed, his own anger rising. "Really?" he snapped, bringing Eiji back to realityu. "Would you like to tell that to Momoshiro and Ecizen? They just celebrated six months last week. Or perhaps you would agree to explain that to Inui and Kaidou, who have been together for over a year and a half."

Eiji's mouth dropped open. Had he been right and his judges wrong? Had he been right in following what he had felt? Still… there was the question of what had happened to him.

"But… but if it isn't wrong, then why was I punished?" he asked softly, remembering the touch of those rough hands. He could feel fingers unbutton his shirt, rubbing against his chest, even though he could see that there was no one in front of him but Fuji, who wasn't close enough to do those acts. He curled up on the bed, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to block it out.

Fuji's eyes clouded over with concern and anger as he heard Eiji mumble, "If it isn't wrong, why was I punished?" again. Whoever those people were, he would make them pay. He needed to know what happened, though. He needed to learn what his friend had gone through in order to fully help him.

"Eiji, this so-called punishment…" he began uncertainly. The genius stopped. Did he really want to know? Did he really want to ask this question? He clenched his teeth together. He had to. "Did they… rape you?"

Eiji looked at him for a second, dull eyes narrowed slightly, as though trying to process what was being asked. "No," he replied. Fuji let out the breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding. But Eiji wasn't finished. "It's not rape if you let them, is it?" He paused. "No… that's just them fucking you. That's all my punishment was – a quick fuck. That's all I am."

"Why did you let them?" Fuji demanded to know, holding back all of his rage. It would do nobody any good if he lashed out at Eiji.

"How long was I gone?" the redhead asked suddenly, completely avoiding Fuji's former question.

Fuji raised an eyebrow. "Nearly thirty hours, if you want that type of count. A little over a day, I suppose," he told him, wondering why the boy was asking.

"Ah, I see, so it really was that long. I thought maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me." He grinned. "Well, at least I know I'm still sane." He sent a grin and a wink at Fuji. "Partially, at least."

Fuji wasn't amused by his antics. "Eiji, _why did you let them_?" he ground out, a bite of anger in his voice. Not enough to really show through, but it gave his words a harsher edge to them.

Eiji looked away and shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to go into the finer points of his confession to Oishi. He knew he didn't want to go into how had felt afterwards.

"I guess… because it needed to happen," he murmured vaguely. "Even if it's not something that's wrong, I suppose… I deserved it anyway."

He didn't have a chance to react as Fuji brought his hand up and slapped him, hard, across the face. All the redhead could do was stare at the ground in shock, feeling the sting on his cheek. After a second, he looked over at his friend, confused.

Fuji was glaring at him, harshly, anger lining his trembling form. Eiji could vaguely remember the boy being this angry once, maybe twice before in all of the years he had known him.

"Do you hear yourself?" Fuji snarled, taking a step closer. "You say you weren't raped, but that you _let_ them. If you had really _let _them, then it wouldn't be punishment!"

He grabbed Eiji's shirt roughly, not noticing the redhead's eyes had dimmed a little more at this action. "Do you understand _anything_ at all?"

Eiji looked at Fuji strangely, leaning forward. "No," he answered. A small, seductive smile graced his face. "Why don't you make me understand?" He stood up and without hesitation, kissed Fuji. The genius tennis player gasped at the action, allowing Eiji's tongue to slip into his mouth. Fuji stood, paralyzed with shock, before his mind finally caught up with what was going on and he pushed Eiji away roughly.

"Eiji, what are you doing?" he asked, grabbing one of the hands that had begun to twirl his hair.

"Please," Eiji begged softly, almost purring into Fuji's ear.

_"Beg for us, little one."_

_Hands touched him all over, groping and caressing. The hands made short work of him. Instead of waiting, they penetrated him, making him gasp and scream. _

_"Louder, scream louder, faggot," someone grunted over him. _

_Something larger was pushed into him when the hand was removed, making his yells almost deafening. _

_"There's a good boy. There's a good whore."_

Tears cascaded down Eiji's face as he held Fuji close. He buried his face in the other boy's shoulder. "Make them stop," he pleaded, his voice muffled by the thick fabric of Fuji's jacket. "Please… just make them go away."

"Make who go away?" Fuji asked. He felt Eiji stiffen in his arms. The acrobat stepped out of Fuji's grip. He stood silent for a moment, looking somewhat like a lost child. Suddenly, it was as though Fuji wasn't there. The eyes weren't looking at him, they were looking through him. They were cold, and lost, and dimmed, and lifeless as they stared straight ahead.

"I'm dirty," the redhead said. He sighed, sitting on the bed. "That's why you don't want me." He paused, jumping up and walking over to the window. He flung open the curtains in order to stare at the fiery sunset. "That must be why Oishi didn't want me either." Another pause. When he spoke again, Fuji could detect a slight change in Eiji's voice. It sounded panicked. "But I wasn't dirty yet. Maybe I'm dirty inside. Maybe that's why Oishi didn't want me. They weren't trying to hurt me, they were trying to clean me. But it didn't work." He opened the window fully, resting his palms on the sill as the reds, purples, blues, and pinks of the sunset filtered inside. "I wonder what dying feels like. People only go through death once." He leaned over the sill, allowing the colors to dance on his face. For a split second, Fuji was afraid he would jump. "Maybe it's just like falling asleep. Maybe we'll just be in our dreams after we die. That wouldn't be so bad, I suppose." He turned and flashed Fuji a dazzling smile.

"Na… Fuji? Do you think Oishi hates me?" the younger asked. Fuji was about to answer but something in that smile stopped him. He chose instead to stay quiet and wait for his friend to finish. It wasn't long before Eiji started speaking again. "Even if he does, I don't care. As long as Oishi's happy, I can learn to be happy. I can live and be happy." He stared out the window again as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. "Being in love isn't the best thing ever. I guess everything you read about isn't true. It is enjoyable though, when you know the person at least cares for you." He sighed. "You don't have to be loved in return, but as long as they acknowledge you're existence, you can be happy. Oishi may hate me, may never love me, but at least he cares. Even though it's only his motherly nature, he knows I exist. And that's a good feeling."

Fuji just stood there, entranced by the normally happy-go-lucky teen in front of him. Before this past week, he would not have expected anything like this from Eiji. Still, he found that it was probably a good change. Something about Eiji seemed older, free and uncontained. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was so amazing about this picture in front of him.

It was blinding.


	6. Find Me

**Author's Note**: I hate the way this chapter was written. I'm going to say that now. I really don't like the way it was written. It seems jerky and choppy and it's just… bad writing. However, I don't know how else to write it. I like the ideas behind this chapter, I just wished there was a better way that I could have written it. Ah well, c'est la vie. There really isn't much I can do about it, unfortunately. So, please forgive the badness of this chapter, which I have called, _Find Me_.

* * *

Oishi definitely felt better after the hour and a half long spar/match with Echizen Ryoma on the tennis courts. His mind felt so clear compared to how it was in the sushi shop. Tennis had always helped him. He was glad that it had not forsaken him. It seemed as though everything else had turned its back on Oishi, but tennis would stay with him. Just knowing that made his heart feel lighter as he made his way back to his house.

"Oishi!" a familiar voice called as he neared his house. He turned around and saw Fuji emerge from the shadows, much like he had done that afternoon at Eiji's house.

"Fuji, what's up?" the doubles player asked his friend and teammate.

Fuji looked solemn as he spoke. "I have a few questions for you."

Oishi nodded. "What is it?" he inquired as the genius drew nearer to him.

Fuji looked uncertain, which surprised Oishi. Even when he had his doubts run through him, the other boy never showed it. For him to actually be showing his feelings meant it had to be something serious.

"What do you really feel about Eiji?" Fuji finally got out. He said it bluntly because he saw no reason in beating around the bush.

Oishi was taken aback by the bluntness of the question. "W-what do you mean?"

Fuji stared at him, the corners of his eyes narrowed slightly. "It's a fairly straight-forward question and it needs to be answered."

Oishi raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see how this is any of your business, Fuji."

"I think it can be. Eiji is like a brother to me. Therefore, this does concern me."

Oishi stared at him, measuring his determination and stubbornness before sighing. "I don't want to have this conversation here."

"We are going to have this conversation, Oishi. You can choose the place, but the time is now."

Oishi sighed. "Come on. There's a park nearby. It will be perfect."

Fuji nodded and followed Oishi.

* * *

Eiji stared out the window. Fuji had left a little while ago. The boy had been abrupt with his leaving and vague about why he had to go. All he had said in advice was, "It's only punishment if you let it be, Eiji. You can get through it. I'm not the person to help you there. But there is someone who can."

As he had walked his friend out of the house, his mother had told him that his sisters had gone out somewhere and she and his father would be out having dinner until late. She asked him not to wait up for him.

The redhead sighed, fingering his hair gently as he allowed his mind to wander. He was glad that his parents weren't here or his sisters.

He thought back to his conversation with Fuji. He didn't know where those words of strength had come from. Yes, he wanted Oishi to be happy, but he knew it would rip him apart to see Oishi with a woman. He knew this and yet he couldn't leave. He couldn't run away and he knew why.

Oishi had asked him not to. Oishi had hugged him and asked him not to disappear.

Even if it was a trick or a ploy to make fun of him, he would listen.

Because Oishi asked him to.

It felt weird, scary even, to acknowledge and realize the power that Oishi held over him.

After all, it was because of Oishi that he had…

Oh god! Eiji felt bile rise in his throat as the memories assaulted him. Hands covering all of him, leaving him stained, dirty and damaged.

There was no way he could be with Oishi now. He was used goods. He was irreparable. He was defective.

Eiji had to run to make it to the bathroom in time. After vomiting, he collapsed against the toilet, a shaking hand reaching up to flush its contents.

He couldn't deal with this. He needed something, anything to help him through this. He raised himself to his feet and made his way downstairs quietly. He knew where his father kept the alcohol.

He figured it was worth a try, even though he had never done it before. Anything was worth a try. Anything that could make him forget the hands and the rancid breath.

Eiji stumbled to his feet. His throat was raw and burning slightly from the upheaval of his dinner. He made his way downstairs to where his father kept the liquor. He knew from watching his father which bottles the man paid attention to and which he did not.

"Let's see, let's see… this one looks good," he said as he uncapped a bottle of sake from the back.

* * *

Oishi looked at Fuji. They had been seated on the park bench for ten minutes and all the other tennis player was doing was staring at him.

"I…" Oishi began, but cut himself off. He looked thoughtful for a second as he tried to figure out exactly how he felt for Eiji. It was a hard question. "I…" He paused again before finally shrugging. "I don't know. I've never really had a chance to… figure it out. Not since… all of this happened."

Fuji sighed and looked away for the first time. He was afraid of that answer. If Oishi was decided either way, it would make everything a lot easier. As it were, by having him tottering in the middle would screw up Eiji even more. He would waver and never give a straight answer, and when he did, the answer was always subject to change.

"That is perhaps the worst answer you could have given me." Fuji had no problems speaking his mind. Oishi looked up, angrily.

"What? Am I supposed to have all of my feelings figured out in two days?"

Fuji sighed, staring off into the distance. He opened his mouth to reply when a loud ringtone rang through the air. Oishi blushed as he answered his phone.

"It's uh… it's Eiji," he muttered as he fished the phone out of his pocket.

"He has his own ringtone?" Fuji inquired with a trace of amusement in his voice.

Oishi refused to answer Fuji as he flipped open the phone. "Eiji?" he answered.

"OIIIIISHIIII!" came the loud, slightly slurred voice of his doubles partner. "YOOOU THERE?"

"Eiji, you don't have to shout, I can hear you fine."

"I'M NOT SHOUTING!"

Oishi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Eiji, where are you?"

"AT MY HOUSE!"

"I'll be there soon."

"OOOOKAY!"

Oishi hung up the phone and turned to Fuji. "Look, I can't have this conversation right now. Eiji… he sounded drunk."

"Drunk?" Fuji echoed, disbelievingly.

Oishi nodded, closing his eyes and counting for a few seconds. "Yeah. He's never touched the stuff before. I'm going to go take care of him."

Fuji nodded. Maybe this would help. If anything, Eiji probably wouldn't remember it in the morning.

Oishi waved to him as he left.

* * *

Eiji sat against the counter, the half-full bottle of sake in his hands. His head was pleasantly fuzzy, but not enough so that he lost control of his body. He was completely in control – just a bit buzzed. Still, he couldn't figure out why he had called Oishi. As he put the phone down and took another swig from the bottle, he figured it wasn't all bad. Oishi, no matter how much he hated him, would take care of him.

"Oishi!" he called to the darkened kitchen. "Where's Oishi?" He stood up unsteadily, reality almost sobering him up as he stumbled through the rooms. "That's right. I'm nothing to Oishi. I'm just nothing."

He crashed into the sofa of the living room, falling to the floor, tears in his eyes. He hated crying. He hated it more than anything. It was useless – nothing was ever solved by crying.

_Dammit, Oishi_, he thought to himself. _I should hate you for making me cry. But I can't._

Eiji would never know how long he sat there on the floor, leaning against the sofa and occasionally taking large gulps from the bottle in his hand. All he knew was that at some time later, there was a furious knocking on his front door.

"Eiji!" a _very_ familiar voice yelled.

"Oishi," Eiji faintly replied, placing the bottle down and leaping to his feet. He grabbed the coffee table to steady him as he rushed towards the door, flinging it open. Sure enough, Oishi was standing there, his usual motherly worry plastered across his face.

"Oishi," was all that the redhead could think of saying.

"Can I come in?" Oishi asked with a faint smile on his lips. Inside, his mind was reeling. He could _smell_ the alcohol on his friend and that worried him. What had happened to push Eiji this far? Eiji wasn't a drinker and usually yelled at Momoshiro when the other teenager told them about how he had sneaked a drink from his parents or Kawamura. He was always something about rotting brain cells and being more idiotic.

Eiji nodded, stepping aside when he realized that Oishi hadn't been let into the house yet. Oishi entered, taking off his shoes and placing his tennis bag by the front door before shutting it behind him.

"Eiji, are you all right?" Oishi asked.

"'m fine, 'm fine," Eiji assured him, waving a hand dismissively. He tripped over his own feet on the way back to the couch where the bottle stood. He picked it up and plopped down on the couch. "Say – you wanna know something funny?"

Oishi raised an eyebrow, listening, but also trying to figure out the best way to get the bottle away from his friend. "What's funny?"

Eiji giggled. "I don't know why I… I called you," he confessed. "I was just all th' sudden on th' phone wit' you."

Oishi sighed. He had figured it had been that. "Eiji – is everything all right with you?" he couldn't help repeating.

Eiji's mouth twitched into a frown surprisingly quickly. "Nope," he answered honestly.

Oishi blew out an exasperated breath. He had no idea how to deal with Eiji like this. The boy was bouncing all over the place with his moods and it was confusing Oishi. He felt as though he was stepping on eggshells, and he didn't like that feeling.

Eiji looked up at him fearfully. "Is Oishi angry with me?" he asked in a tiny voice, clutching the bottle harder to his chest.

Oishi looked startled. "No, Eiji. Why would I be mad at you?"

Eiji couldn't help but swallow another large swig of the sake in his hands, barely feeling the burn of the alcohol in his throat anymore. "B'cause I messed up," he told the other matter-of-factly. "I…" He hiccupped suddenly, feeling the hands on him again. He couldn't get away from them, could he? Maybe that was the full extent of his punishment – the memory. He batted at his legs, trying to brush the hands off, trying to escape their cold grip.

"Eiji?" Oishi asked, concerned. Eiji looked up at him, but didn't look as though he recognized his friend at all. The boy was absently drinking more of the bottle. Oishi, not knowing what else to do, snatched it away from the redhead.

"Oy!"

Oishi glared at him in his best motherly impression. "You've had enough, I think." He stood up to put the bottle back in the liquor cabinet, and away from his doubles partner.

Eiji growled and lunged for the bottle. Oishi let out a startled yelp as the redhead landed on top of him, his arm extended for the bottle that Oishi held above his hand. The boy's face was even with his own and it made Oishi's breath catch.

Why did his hormones have to act up now? _He_ didn't even know how he felt, so how could his body? It was confusing, but he couldn't dwell on that now.

"Eiji, stop it!" Eiji reached for the bottle, grabbing onto Oishi's shirt in order to pull himself up farther. "EIJI!"

The redhead paused, looking down at Oishi. "Oishi… please?" he asked softly.

Oishi could barely breathe. Eiji was giving him the most adorable, begging eyes that he could imagine, but he sighed and reminded him that this was for Eiji's own good.

"Eiji, get off me," Oishi bit out, more harsh than he had intended, but he knew that it was the only way to get Eiji off him.

Sighing, the acrobat scrambled off his partner and retreated back to the couch, curling up into a ball at the corner. Oishi deposited the bottle in the cabinet, making sure to lock it. He briefly hoped that Eiji's father had the key, but realized he really didn't care anyway. He made his way back over to his doubles partner.

Eiji was curled up like a cat. A very scared cat. It was that point which worried Oishi. The tennis player took a seat on the armrest of the couch and carefully reached down to Eiji's hair, running his fingers through it in what he hoped was a soothing manner. When the redhead moved a little bit to allow him room on the couch, Oishi took it. It wasn't very long after that that Eiji moved his head so that it rested on Oishi's thigh.

"Oishi…" the acrobat mumbled.

"What's that?"

"I really _do_ like you… 'kay?"

Oishi's gaze softened as he looked at his best friend. He leaned over, though the angle wasn't the best, and planted an awkward kiss on Eiji's brow. "I know," he replied.

Eiji smiled, his eyes falling shut. It was good to have Oishi here, even if he was only here for a little while. Even if he was only here out of some obligation or measure of pity, it was still nice for him to be here and not seem repulsed by Eiji.

Oishi looked down at his friend. It would do neither of them any good if they were found like this on the couch. Slowly, Oishi removed Eiji's head from his thigh. He heard Eiji whimper at the lack of warmth and sighed, bending over to pick the boy up. Eiji never woke up, which was strange, as he was normally a light sleeper.

"Easy does it, Oishi," the seventeen year old told himself. "Nice and easy."

It wasn't long before he had made it up to Eiji's room. He was glad that Eiji kept his room relatively clean, so that he wouldn't be fumbling around in the dark, afraid of whatever object he may chance to trip over. He lay the boy down on the bed, and made to leave. Eiji probably wouldn't want him here when he awoke, no matter how he acted. However, this soon became a very difficult thing when Eiji's eyes opened slowly. He looked around blearily and saw Oishi.

"Oishi?" he asked, almost as though not believing it to be true. Oishi nodded uncertainly. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to this teenager.

Eiji just looked at him, sleep tugging at his eyelids. Still, he forced them open long enough to breathe out, "Don't go."

Oishi sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since he had arrived at the Kikumaru residence as he nodded, sliding underneath the covers with Eiji. They had slept in this way thousands of times before. It had seemed so innocent back then. They were just best friends and Eiji owned an exceptionally large bed, so it seemed almost logical that they should sleep in it together. That wasn't the case anymore. After all, men didn't do those types of things with each other.

Oishi groaned softly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His mind would have to get used to a lot of changes. He didn't really mind though, as he was surprised to find out. Even after trying to discover his own feelings and learning of Eiji's, he didn't mind this old habit. They had been doing it since junior high school. It seemed almost natural for him to be able to get comfortable in Eiji's bed, regardless of the circumstances.

Just as he was falling asleep, he thought he felt an arm snaking around his stomach. He didn't have enough energy left to even care about it. It was only a few seconds later that he succumbed to his dreams.


	7. Explain it to Me

**Author's Note:**_I'm a silly person. I completely forgot to put in the explanation for what happened. Mainly because this story focused more on the relationships and dynamics of the team when they were forced to deal with this kind of event. It was just a tiny idea and it spawned. But there was no explanation for who or why. So, after uploading a few of the chapters, and being reminded in many reviews that people want to know, I'm writing the explanation at the end of this one. Please excuse it if it seems a bit… different from the rest of the fic. To me, it doesn't seem to fit anywhere, but I've added it in to quell your curiosities. I think my favorite part of this chapter is the beginning, between Fuji and Tezuka. It amuses me for some reason._

* * *

"Fuji," a stern, commanding voice called to him from somewhere behind him. Fuji smiled to himself. He hadn't moved from the bench, and yet he knew that voice better than he knew his own.

"Tezuka," he replied, a faint smile on his lips. Tezuka's injury sometimes still bothered him, but the months in Germany that he had spent in both junior high and high school had helped considerably. The captain was stronger because of it, and although the man wouldn't say it, everyone knew he had a soft spot for his old teammates.

"I noticed earlier when we spoke briefly outside of Kawamura's that you know something of Eiji's… disappearance," the brunette began, taking a seat next to Fuji.

Fuji shrugged. "I know a lot about Eiji's 'disappearance'," he countered.

Tezuka didn't look surprised. "Is there anything I need to know about it that could affect his game?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji chuckled. "A simple 'is he going to be okay' would work, Tezuka," he informed his captain of the past several years.

Tezuka stared at him, not even bothering to retort.

Fuji shook his head, knowing that Tezuka was just being stubborn again. "I don't know," he let out truthfully. "I honestly don't know. Oishi's with him right now." He paused, wondering how to continue. He wanted to tell Tezuka what he knew, but that was for Eiji to confess to, not him. "I won't say he's all right, even though he may act like it." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking forward. "I can't really say anything on the matter. He only told me because I wouldn't let up. I won't betray his trust."

Tezuka nodded, almost as if expecting this. "I understand," he spoke shortly.

Fuji smiled at him in his infuriating way. "Do you, Tezuka?" he asked.

* * *

Eiji woke up the next morning with his head pounding and his mouth dry. He opened his eyes groggily, only to be met with a sight that made him think he was still dreaming.

Oishi.

The other boy was still asleep, but he wasn't protesting Eiji's arm around his waist or the redhead's face snuggled into his back. Eiji didn't move, scarcely breathed. He just relished the fact that he could be so near to Oishi once again. He couldn't help but love that. He couldn't help but want more of this.

_Stop being selfish, Eiji!_ he nearly screamed at himself, but settled for just whispering it in his own head. He felt Oishi shift under his arm, turning over so that their faces were very close. Slowly, the black-haired boy opened his eyes.

"Hi," was all he said.

Eiji couldn't help just staring at the other. It was insane. He sounded almost… _happy_ to see Eiji. That couldn't be right. There had to be some mistake with that. Yes, that was what it was. Some mistake. It had to be!

"Eiji?" Oishi asked, his eyes darkening with concern. Slowly, the black-haired boy lifted a hand up and stroked his partner's cheek. "Are you all right?"

Eiji bit down hard on his lip. He couldn't say that he was, because he couldn't lie to Oishi. But he didn't want the other boy to worry so much about him, so it would be best to remain silent, right?

"Eiji, answer me, please," Oishi urged.

Eiji sighed. Truth, it was. He shook his head ever so slightly, pain flaring in his temples with every movement. He wasn't okay. There, he admitted it. He wasn't okay. So what happened now?

To his surprise, Oishi's arms encircled him, drawing him into their warmth and safety. Oishi slowly sat up, dragging Eiji with him. He rested his chin on Eiji's messy hair and just held him there.

Eiji wanted to hug him back, but he wasn't sure if he could. He wasn't sure about very much anymore. He didn't know what he could and couldn't do around Oishi. It made things awkward, it made things unbearable. He swallowed the lump in his throat, fighting to keep the tears from falling.

Oishi chewed on his lip, debating whether he should do what he wanted to or not. Deciding, for once, that he could deal with the consequences later, he pushed his lips to his doubles partner's, hoping for the best.

* * *

"Ne, Momo-chan," Ryoma began softly. Now that they were in private, he didn't mind that Momoshiro was holding him closely in between the elder boy's legs. He was actually rather comfortable. He just didn't understand his boyfriend's need for public displays of affection. It was embarrassing! Not quite as embarrassing as being seen in public with his father, but it ranked a close second.

"Hmm?" Momo asked, laying back against the headboard of his bed and pulling Ryoma so the younger boy was flush against his chest.

"Do you…," he started before stopping himself. He looked thoughtful, but also worried.

Momo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm… concerned about Kikumaru and Oishi," he murmured.

The purple-eyed boy grinned and leaned in for a long kiss, to which Echizen responded eagerly. After a moment, he drew back, taking in the dazed look in his younger boyfriend's eyes. He loved seeing that look.

"We all are," he commented, "but they're the Golden Pair. They'll bounce back."

As he wrapped his arms around his smaller lover, he couldn't help but add quietly to himself, _Hopefully._

* * *

Tezuka and Fuji had been sitting in silence for quite a while when Fuji all of the sudden, asked, "Would you like to come on an errand with me?" 

The captain raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same.

"Come on then," the genius urged. The two began to walk in a companionable silence. Words weren't needed between them. After about ten minutes, Fuji brought them to a stop in front of a large three story house.

"Where is this?" Tezuka asked.

"Arai's house," Fuji answered cryptically. Tezuka didn't even spare his friend a questioning glance. He knew that Fuji would get to his point in his own good time. Fuji led him up the modest wooden stairs. The smaller boy walked up and knocked on the door. Tezuka waited in front of the steps.

It wasn't long before Arai appeared. "Fuji-senpai," the dark-skinned boy let out. "Tezuka-buchou."

Tezuka nodded his greeting while Fuji smiled. "May we come in? We need to talk to you."

Arai nodded, stepping aside. "Come in."

"Thank you," Fuji responded as he walked past the former tennis player. Tezuka entered behind him silently.

Arai led them to the living room, where they sat on the couch. "I'll go make some tea," the host said. He went off to do so.

While Arai was in the kitchen, Tezuka turned to Fuji. "Why are we here?' he inquired.

"You'll see," Fuji answered. The corners of the captain's mouth thinned slightly but he soon gained control of his emotions. It wasn't long after that that Arai returned with the tea.

"What can I do for you?" the younger boy asked.

Fuji sipped his before answering. "You were the one that found Eiji, weren't you?" he asked. "I asked his mother where he had been, and she mentioned your name. I do not think that it was dropped randomly."

Arai looked up, a serious expression on his face. "Actually, no. My little brother did."

"Is he here? I'd like to speak to him."

Arai shrugged. "I'll get him for you." He walked off, limping heavily on his left foot.

Tezuka watched him, eyes narrowing. "His injury still hasn't healed."

Fuji shook his head. "It only happened four months ago."

They were unable to continue their discussion when Tatsuha entered, followed by his older brother.

"Tatsuha, this is Fuji Shuunsuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu," Arai introduced. "Fuji-senpai, Tezuka-buchou, this is my younger brother, Arai Tatsuha."

Fuji looked at Tatsuha scruntinizingly. "You were the one who found Eiji?"

Tatsuha nodded uncertainly.

"Do you know who it was that…" Fuji's voice faltered for a second. He shook his head slightly, knowing that he needed to finish his sentence. "That kidnapped and raped him?"

Tezuka and Arai glanced sharply at Fuji. Both had known Eiji had been kidnapped, but neither had known he had been raped.

Tatsuha looked at Fuji levelly. "Not for certain, but I have a good idea."

"Oh?" Fuji responded.

"They are a couple of members of the tennis club. One's a senior, Yamashita. The other two are juniors, Tanaka and Renshi. They're not very good, from what I've seen, but I've heard them talking about Kikumaru." He paused, placing a hand on his chin. "How to put this… how to put this… For Yamashita, I believe it was just for a good fuck. The other two, I don't really know their reasons. Jealousy, stupidity, _both_. I'm not sure. I just heard 'em talking. They knew I was there. Didn't think they were serious about their threats. Besides, it's not as if anyone thinks I'll tell people this."

Tezuka's eyes narrowed at the names. Those three had given him problems since he had become captain of the team. As former regulars before Tezuka set up the idea of inter-team matches like he had experienced in Seigaku, they were always starting something with the new regulars, especially since everyone knew that most of the regulars had worked together in junior high. It had started off as jealousy, but Tezuka suspected that it had become an obsession before long.

Kikumaru was the ample target for their attack. He was a lot more trusting and emotional than the rest of them. The only other person they would have been able to hit and leave a dynamic impression would have been Momoshiro. The only problem with that would be the fact that Momo had muscles, and wasn't afraid to fight anyone in his path. That only left Kikumaru.

The entire attack on Eiji could have been a way to demoralize the rest of them and get their own personal revenge.

It was the stupidest reason that he had ever heard of, but it was the only one that made sense when dealing with Yamashita, Tanaka and Renshi.

"Should we bring the police into this?" Arai asked quietly, effectively breaking Tezuka from his musings.

Fuji sighed and shook his head. "Eiji won't be cooperative if the police were brought into this."

Tatsuha sighed. "I'd rather just punch the three of them. A lot."

"We need to deal with this on our own," Tezuka agreed. "It is Eiji's choice if the police are involved or not."

The others nodded.

"Tomorrow, then," Fuji said. "Tomorrow we'll deal with them." A hard glint came to his eyes, a kind of which hadn't been seen since junior high when his younger brother had been in danger of damaging his shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll make them pay."


	8. Smile For Me

Fuji and Tezuka were walking back to Fuji's house, as it was closer than Tezuka's. There was something that was bothering the captain, and he wondered if he should ask it. While he was glad to know the information, he wondered about what Fuji had told him earlier.

They reached the tensai's house rather quickly, and Tezuka didn't say anything until they were safely in Fuji's room.

"Fuji… you said that you weren't going to betray Eiji's trust, but you told Arai and myself what happened," he finally got out. He stared at Fuji.

He smiled back. "I wasn't speaking to you two. I was speaking to Tatsuha," he let out. His smile grew slightly. "Were you in the room? I didn't notice. Oops."

Tezuka sighed. He would never understand how Fuji's mind worked, and he was fine with that.

Fuji came over to him, sitting next to him. Their shoulders were touching. Fuji lay his head down on Tezuka's shoulder.

"I think things will work out for them, don't you?"

Tezuka merely nodded. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you think things will work out for us?" Fuji asked suddenly.

Tezuka looked down, only to be met with Fuji's azure eyes. "What?" he inquired.

Fuji didn't answer vocally. Instead, the smaller man reached up and grabbed Tezuka's head, pulling the tennis captain down into a kiss.

When they broke apart, Fuji was looking at his captain seriously. This wasn't a joke, or a whimsical thing. He was absolutely serious.

Tezuka had an expression of complete disbelief. Fuji sighed. Tezuka was a smart man, that was no lie. However, he could be incredibly dumb about certain things.

This was one of those things.

"Well?" he finally prompted.

Tezuka felt a small smile pulling at the corner of his lip. "We'll see," was all he answered. Fuji smiled again, his eyes opening slightly. He knew that was the best he was going to get from Tezuka at this juncture. However, he also knew that it was probably a "yes" in the end. He didn't move from his spot of leaning against his captain, and Tezuka didn't push him away either.

* * *

Eiji's eyes were wide. He was stunned that Oishi could be doing this, could be _kissing _him. Wasn't it just three days ago that the boy had punched him for doing just this? What could have happened that could make Oishi kiss him? Did he… was this just for pity? Did Oishi find out what had happened to him and was just giving him some sort of strange sympathy?

No, he couldn't have found out. Yes, Eiji had let slip that he had gone through some type of punishment, but he didn't go into specifics. He wasn't sure he could. It was bad enough that _Fuji_ already knew. He still… he couldn't drag Oishi down with him. What he had now wasn't a pure touch anymore. He wasn't innocent anymore.

He couldn't taint Oishi.

Once he realized this, the redhead shoved his doubles partner away from him. He couldn't do this! He had to get out. Quickly, he launched himself into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Eiji leaned against the door, hugging his knees to his chest. He couldn't believe Oishi would want him, not after… _that_.

He gritted his teeth and shoved himself over to the sink, looking into the mirror above it. How could he be selfish enough to drag Oishi down with him? He wasn't that stupid. He was already falling. He knew that. He was already going down. He couldn't clip Oishi's wings.

Oishi… he had always been together with him. Even when they fought, they were together. But this… this was something that had to keep them apart. This was something that Eiji had to protect Oishi from. Oishi had always protected him, in his own way. It was time for Eiji to repay the favor, no matter how much it would hurt him.

"Eiji?" came Oishi's frantic voice. It was close. The black-haired teenager was probably hovering just outside the bathroom door. Eiji grimaced. Why did this all have to be complicated? Why couldn't he just have a normal relationship?

_"He knows he's unnatural, don't he? He knows he deserves all of this! He ain't even fighting anymore or nothing." _

"Go away," he whispered softly, staring deeply into his own reflection. He didn't want the memories. Fuji had told him that there was nothing wrong with him. Others had perfectly normal relationships. Others had been together for a long while.

Oishi and him… they just weren't meant to even have a chance, he supposed. It didn't matter how much he loved Oishi or how much Oishi cared for him, they _didn't have a chance_. He wouldn't endanger Oishi… he couldn't do a thing like that.

"Eiji?" Oishi called again. Eiji bit his lip harshly. His best friend sounded forlorn, lost almost. He couldn't just leave Oishi there. He couldn't! But he couldn't take him either.

_You could always tell him the truth_, a snide little voice whispered. It sounded like Momoshiro. He didn't have time to really fathom whether he should or not as he made up his mind to go and open the door. He wasn't sure why he did. It was instinctual, it was something that he did without fully comprehending what he was doing.

He wasn't expecting to see that lost, hurt look on Oishi's face. Nor did he honestly expect Oishi to wrap his arms around him.

"Oishi… I… I can't," he whispered into the taller boy's shirt. "I _can't_."

Oishi drew back, taking Eiji's hand in his own, bring it close to his chest. "Why not? I'm sorry for my rejection of you… I was confused. It was sudden. I didn't know how I felt, how I _should_ feel. I know now, but I can't apologize enough for how I acted then. I'm sorry. I'm very and truly sorry."

"_Don't apologise!"_ Eiji let out. He couldn't stand it. "It's _not_ you. It's _never_ you. Just please… don't apologise." He stared intently at his hand, which was encased in Oishi's. The other boy felt so warm, so _good_, and they were only holding hands. He wanted to keep Oishi, never let anyone else have him, but he couldn't. He slipped his hand from his best friend's, allowing it to fall to his side lifelessly. There was still the lingering warmth on his fingertips.

"Eiji?" Oishi asked very softly.

Eiji couldn't stand the softness of that tone, so comforting, so warm, and he didn't deserve it at all.

_It's only punishment if you let it be, Eiji._

Fuji's words came back to him.

He sucked in a long breath as he stared up at Oishi, determined.

He had to tell him. Oishi, barring all of this love stuff, was his best friend and had been for years. He couldn't allow that to go. Then the judges would have won and that couldn't happen, could it? Oishi and he had been through far too much in order to have it all destroyed because of those men.

"Eiji?" Oishi asked again, his voice warm and comforting.

Eiji gritted his teeth, looking at the floor. He didn't want to face Oishi's eyes – those eyes that cared far more than they should have for someone as filthy as himself. "I'll… I'll tell you. Fine, you… you win, I'll tell you."

Oishi breathed out a soft sigh. He couldn't help the smile pulling at his lips. Eiji was letting him inside again, and that made him happier than anything else. It had been three days since this had all begun, but it had been weeks since he felt this close to Eiji.

"Y-you may want to sit down for this one, Oishi," Eiji told him seriously. Oishi felt the seriousness underlining Eiji's voice and did as he was told.

It took a few minutes for him to begin, but when he did, Eiji managed to get all that had happened out – in soft, halting tones. He was hesitant to spill this story, in such detail as he was allowing now. He didn't want anyone to know, but he didn't want the judges to win either. His voice caught on many occasions, but Oishi didn't care. He said nothing while tears flowed down Eiji's cheeks and the redhead's hands wrangled nervously.

Eiji didn't so much as glance at Oishi once. He didn't know if he could face his best friend as he was right now. He wasn't sure if he could possibly do anything like that. He wasn't sure that now that the secret was out, he could ever even hope to face Oishi again.

Oishi said nothing. He didn't think that was anything that he _could_ say that would mean anything to Eiji. He couldn't think at all. Eiji… had gone through _that_. How could anything he said mean _anything_ to the boy? It wasn't as though words could put someone back together. Tennis could, but he thought that would be a callous thing to say. "Hey Eiji, I know something that could help – let's go play some tennis." It didn't quite sound right, even in his head.

"Eiji…" he began, but cut himself off uncertainly. What could he say? Was there anything to actually say in this situation? He wasn't sure. He couldn't be sure.

"Now do you understand why I _can't_ have you?"

Oishi was confused at this. "No. I don't."

Eiji chanced to look at his friend. The boy wasn't lying. He _didn't _know. It was so _obvious_ though. How could he not realize?

"Because I'll drag _you_ down too," he nearly screamed, appalled at the raven-haired boy's stupidity.

Oishi gave the redhead a tiny smile. "Only if you want to," he whispered softly.

Eiji stared at his best friend of six years accusingly. He saw the soft smile that graced Oishi's lips, the slight twinkle in the other boy's eyes and he couldn't help but smile too.

Kikumaru Eiji was far from healed. He would be the first to tell anyone that. What they had done to him was… unforgivable. Yet as Oishi leaned in to steal another kiss from him, Eiji answered him willingly, kissing back with all he had.

What they had done had changed him in more ways than he could imagine, but he could still smile. He could still love. He could still be loved. And Oishi loved him.

In the end, that was all that mattered.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

_I know that I didn't go into what happened to the three OCs. I figured I could leave that to your imagination. Like I said last chapter, that entire part between Tezuka, Fuji, Arai and Tatsuha wasn't in the original story and I don't like it being here, but you all deserved an explanation. _

_I know it's kind of a mean thing to do, but I don't know where I would fit it in either. It would mean that I would have to write another entire day into the fic, and I feel that that would take away from what I have already written. _

_I also added the Fuji/Tezuka bit. I don't know if it's OOC or what for this story, but I figured they deserved some loving. Everyone else is getting some love – and I realized that I had been dropping hints about them. I'm silly like that. _

_I know it's been a short ride, a mere eight days, but I'm glad of all the reviewers who stuck with me through it, especially since I made a major screw-up. Thanks to you all. I enjoyed reading each and every one of your reviews. _

_The ending is kind of… saptastic, but I like it. It's cute. _

_Many thanks! _

-Kyuubi-kun-


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